Meebo for iOS Updates, Adds Web Site Check-Ins, Twitter Support

Meebo just updated its iOS app - still one of the best for instant messaging with friends who use different IM services - to include Web site check-ins, Twitter support, and more.

There are several services now that allow you to check in not just to the physical places you visit, but also to the Web sites, blogs, and other online content you consume. GetGlue is one of them, but now Meebo, best known for being a multi-protocol chat client and Web service, is getting into the game. Meebo just updated its iOS app - still one of the best for instant messaging with friends who use different IM services - to include Web site check-ins.

The new service is designed more to help users share the sites they visit frequently than anything else: you can check-in to a site and then share it with other Meebo users, along with any comments you may have to provide. If you're curious what your friends are checking in to, you can tap the new "updates" feed to see what other Meebo users are reading and sharing.

Meebo's new check-in feature certainly allows people to share the sites they're browsing, but there are a few caveats. First of all, you can share the site you're viewing, but it immediately goes into the massive Meebo network as opposed to only being distributed to your friends - this means that as more and more people use it, it's likely your check-in will be lost in the crowd. Additionally, Meebo doesn't have a "badge" system just yet, so checking in to different Web sites doesn't really get you anything in the way of accomplishment.

Finally, in order to check in to a site with Meebo, you have to be using the Meebo browser to view the site in the first place, as opposed to Safari, which is already on your iOS device. Still, as the feature grows and changes, it may be more attractive to people who enjoy social games like GetGlue and FourSquare, and considering how strong a chat client Meebo is, it could very well take off.

In addition to Web check-ins, Meebo is toying with Twitter support, and introduced limited support in its latest update. Not all of the features you would expect in a full-blown Twitter client are in this update, but if you're the type of person who prefers a single app to manage all of their social networks and chat services, Meebo is clearly moving in the direction of providing it to you.